Decorative entryways into homes and buildings have long been popular among builders and owners alike. In one common configuration of such an entryway, a door that is hinged to be opened and closed is flanked by one or more decorative sidelight panels. In some instances, these sidelight panels are paned with cut or colored glass. In other cases, wooden sidelight panels may be used to flank the door and add dimension and decoration to the entryway. Patio entryways having one fixed door and one openable door hinged either to the left or right of the fixed door are also common. In either case, the common attribute of such entryways is that they include at least one and usually two fixed sidelight panels and at least one hinged door panel.
Providing a reliable and stable threshold and door sill at the bottom of such multi-panel entryway assemblies has proven to be something of a challenge to their manufacturers. In some instances, the entire assembly, including door jambs, door, sidelight frames, and sidelights are built upon a heavy wooden base plate. In these cases, the fixed sidelight panels rest directly on the base plate and are sealed as well as possible in sidelight frames that are formed by the jambs of the assembly. Then, a common wooden or extruded aluminum door sill is installed on the base plate extending between the door jambs beneath the closed door to provide a seal against the bottom of the door.
While this construction technique is somewhat adequate, it nevertheless is plagued with various problems and shortcomings. For example, since the sidelights rest directly on the wooden base plate, rainwater, over time, tends to run down the fixed sidelight panels, seep into the base plate, and cause rotting that eventually necessitates replacement of the entire entryway assembly. The base plate can also warp over time. Further, the aluminum or wooden door sill, which terminates against the bottoms of the door jambs, tends to leak at its ends as rainwater runs down the door jambs and works it way beneath the ends of the sill and onto the wooden base plate below.
Some manufacturers of multi-panel entryway assemblies have addressed these types of problems by purchasing aluminum door sill assemblies long enough to span the entire width of the entryway and underlie both the fixed panels and the hinged door. The sill is then installed along the entire length of a wooden base plate and the door frame, sidelight frames, sidelights, and door are assembled atop the sill. While this approach indeed reduces water seepage beneath the door sill, it too has had numerous inherent problems.
For example, it is desirable with such assemblies that the continuous sill be provided with a vertically adjustable threshold cap positioned to underlie the closed door of the entryway and vertically fixed and structurally sturdy panel caps positioned to underlie the fixed sidelight panels. In the past, such threshold and sill assemblies have by necessity been custom manufactured to fit a particular entryway configuration. This has been due,in part, to the fact that vertical adjustment means of prior art sills have been operatively integrated into the sill frame itself so that the threshold cap is necessarily fixed in a given longitudinal location along the sill. Thus, the threshold cap has been custom cut to length and fitted on the sill frame in the proper location to underlie the closed door. If the size or location of the door changed, new custom sized sill assemblies were necessary to fit the new configuration. In short, prior art continuous threshold and sill assemblies for multi-panel entryways have not been adaptable to changing entryway configurations. This problem has been particularly acute in the case of two door patio entryways. These types of entryways can include either a left-hand swing door or a right-hand swing door. Accordingly, manufacturers have had to stock custom made threshold and sill assemblies with the vertically adjustable threshold cap located both on the left and right of the sill frame. Further, different sizes have had to be stocked for different size door panels. Clearly, the inventory expense and waste of stocking so many custom made parts can be substantial.
Some entryway manufacturers have attempted to solve these problems by purchasing threshold and sill assemblies having a vertically adjustable threshold cap extending the entire length of the sill frame. The threshold cap is then cut into appropriate length sections and the sections that are to underlie the fixed sidelight panels are permanently vertically adjusted before the fixed sidelight panels are installed and sealed in place. While this approach provides a bit more adaptability and reduces the need for custom manufactured sill assemblies, it nevertheless is labor intensive and relatively expensive since an adjustable threshold cap must be paid for even for use under fixed sidelight panels where adjustment is not required.
Another persistent problem with door sill and threshold assemblies of all kinds relates to the protection of the threshold cap and the back or interior side of the assembly from paint and other destructive substances as well as from physical scuffing during construction of a structure in which the sill assembly is installed. In most instances, the sill assembly is installed early in construction prior to the installation of sheetrock, prior to floor finishing, and prior to painting. As a result, the sills, and particularly their threshold caps, often become covered with paint, scraped and scuffed, and generally defaced during the completion of construction. It is not uncommon that a contractor has to replace the threshold cap with a new one after construction is complete. Some contractors attempt to protect the threshold caps by applying tape over them. However, this approach is far from satisfactory since the tape tends to tear and come off during construction. Even where the tape stays on, it tends to stick to the cap and leave an unsightly residue when finally removed. As a result, the threshold cap is often destroyed, even when protective tape is applied.
It can thus be seen that there exists a continuing and heretofore unaddressed need for a continuously running door sill and threshold cap assembly for use with sidelight and patio entryways that eliminates the need for custom sized assemblies by having both vertically fixed and vertically adjustable threshold caps that can be positioned anywhere along the length of the sill frame and thus that are fully adaptable to a wide variety of entryway sizes and configurations. The assembly should be economical to produce, easy to adapt in the field, and provide for superior drainage of rainwater away from both the fixed sidelight panels and the hinged door panel. A further need exists for a reliable, inexpensive, and convenient method and device for protecting threshold caps of door sill assemblies from paint and other destructive substances and from general scaring, scraping, and scuffing during construction of a building in which the door sill assembly has been installed. It is to the provision of such a threshold and door sill assembly and paint shield that the present invention is primarily directed.